Erick is a young boy who lives in The Republic of the Congo. He was attacked by a chimpanzee and though he miraculously survived, his face was left extremely disfigured. He lost both his upper and lower lips and has extensive scarring along the right side of his face. This has left him with oral incompetence (inability to close his mouth) making it extremely difficult for him to eat or drink. At present he is seriously malnourished, weighing only 42 pounds.

To make matters worse, he has been abandoned by his family.

He was found by some health care volunteers and referred to Smile Rescue Fund for Kids for help. We plan on bringing him to Stony Brook University Hospital for the necessary reconstructive plastic surgery Erickh needs to be able to nourish himself.